I have no idea if you are still around or will read this...but I enjoyed your Harsh Realm story "Noel". I think you really got into the character's head, especially when you described his injuries and his emotional state. And your description of Florence was also great. I only saw Harsh Realm a couple of weeks ago, on DVD. Couldn't even find it at my local rental store, so I had to request it at the public library. I do think it was a show that could have gone somewhere. It would have been especially interesting to see the "holes" filled in, if the show had continued. If you are still around, I hope you will read MY Harsh Realm story. I have a mischievous imagination and a fondness for parody.

frank chapter 1 . 2/13/2006

Water clocks were among the earliest timekeepers that didn't depend on the observation of celestial bodies. One of the oldest was found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep I, buried around 1500 BCE. Later named clepsydras ("water thieves") by the Greeks, who began using them about 325 BCE, these were stone vessels with sloping sides that allowed water to drip at a nearly constant rate from a small hole near the bottom. Other clepsydras were cylindrical or bowl-shaped containers designed to slowly fill with water coming in at a constant rate. Markings on the inside surfaces measured the passage of "hours" as the water level reached them. These clocks were used to determine hours at night, but may have been used in daylight as well. Another version consisted of a metal bowl with a hole in the bottom; when placed in a container of water the bowl would fill and sink in a certain time. These were still in use in North Africa in the 20th century.